Hay Burner Once Kept Settlers Warm

Hay Burner Once Kept Settlers Warm FARM HOME Miscellaneous Early settlers on the prairies didn’t have much wood available so they burned what they had whether buffalo chips or cow chips In many areas prairie hay became an important fuel source According to the Nebraska State Historical Society the practice was especially common in the central and northern parts of that state Burning loose grass required constant attention as it was fed into stoves Twisted grass provided more concentrated heat In 1876 a patent was granted to a Dakota Territory resident for a machine to twist hay or straw for fuel Such machines twisted the stems and cut them to length Special stoves were designed just for burning hay with patents issued for at least 5 hay burners between 1877 and 1882 The first of these the 1878 vintage hay burner shown above was donated to the Society in 1934 It used removable spring-operated cylindrical magazines to feed hay into the stove A supply of packed cylinders would be kept on hand to be quickly inserted as needed Another common design was the wash boiler stove A metal container stuffed with grass was turned upside down over the firebox and connected to the stove Reportedly it could hold a fire for 2 hrs if tightly packed The cylinder stove and the wash boiler stove were multi-purpose In addition to being space heaters they served as cooktops and ovens According to one early settler burning grass was superior to wood In an 1877 letter to his brother Daniel Oaks said “Now D B I would like to tell you about how we get along without wood for fuel Instead of working my team to death hauling wood from 20 miles away I just take my mower and horses and go down to the Sioux bottom In two days I can cut and put up enough hay to last me one year ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Nebraska State Historical Society P O Box 82554 Lincoln Neb 68501 ph 402 471-3270

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